WHITEHALL — If Whitehall does in fact face Manistee again in the district tournament next month, the Vikings certainly have earned the right to enter a rematch with confidence after dispatching the Mariners 2-0 Wednesday night, extending their unbeaten streak to seven games.
There were many Viking stars on the night, but the most obvious ones were Carter Burrous, who scored both goals on very similar shots, and Alex Winczewski, the first-year soccer player at keeper who has wowed fans with great instincts, great saves and great results.
Coach Dillon McCarthy found himself amazed at a late save by Winczewski which showed off his basketball roots because of the unconventional way he smacked the ball downward once he got a hand on it.
"It was the most unconventional save I've seen, but he saved it," McCarthy said. "He's a gamer. He played out of his mind and made 3-4 quality saves that if he doesn't (make them), it shifts the entire pace of play and the entire momentum their way."
"Seeing him come out to the field and just absolutely dominate in the net, it's amazing and great to see," Burrous said of his teammate.
Whitehall (6-3-1, 5-1-1 West Michigan Conference) used improved spacing - McCarthy was pleased his team used the entire width of the field - to create the majority of scoring chances in the game and leaned on the veteran Burrous to finish them. He fired both of his goals from the right side of the net across to the left, placing them perfectly. Both came from similar distances as well, with the first from about 20 yards away, the second from just over 15. He scored the first goal 15 minutes into the game, and the second with 19 minutes left to play.
"That's what I'm practicing all the time," Burrous said. "The coaches set me up for stuff like that. In the box, you've got to find the gaps."
Burrous works hard at his craft, but McCarthy said his top scorer, who is up to nine goals for the season, also possesses a natural gift for scoring and is determined to maximize it.
"He's good. He's quality," McCarthy said. "I love that he gets angry at himself, too, when he's not scoring more because of his opportunities. (He'll say,) 'I mishit that,' or this happened or that. He's always looking for ways to fix what he's got going and try to capitalize on those shots."
McCarthy also credited senior defensemen Keegan Frees and Javi LeBlanc and center midfielders and captains Evan Jud and Ian Hinze for strong play throughout the game. He put it right there with the team's impressive 1-0 win over Ludington last week as one of its best performances.
"Collectively, I think this is probably one of our best team outings," McCarthy said. "It felt pretty comfortable. They felt pretty confident, even under pressure against a pretty good and talented Manistee team."
The team's focus is squarely on that postseason run, with the coach even referencing it by saying the goal is to put together 160 consistent minutes (two full games) in a week. The 1-1 tie with Montague last week is the only game in the last seven the Vikings have not won and stands, to McCarthy, as an example of what the team can't let happen in October.
"I can't fault them for not having the best outing on Wednesday after the emotional high of beating a Ludington team in the last three minutes, (but I tell them,) 'Yeah, that happens, guys, but if you want to win a district, you've got to win two games with your best 160 minutes to get to that final,'" McCarthy said.
